Starbend Commercial Capital, a small-business funding service in Las Vegas, NV, explains bar business financing options for Clark County, NV owners: bar equipment financing, remodels and new locations, how liquor licensing timing affects a funding plan, stock purchases, merchant cash advances and the records partners may review.
| Bars with payroll, county | 468 (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Employees | 8,649 |
| Under five employees | 21.4% |
| Bars with one to four staff | 100 (CBP 2023) |
| Without payroll, county | 276 (NES 2024) |
| Annual payroll, county | About $346.8 million |
How money moves through a bar
A bar buys liquor, beer and mixers on a regular cycle, sometimes with payment due on delivery, and pays bartenders, barbacks and security every pay period. Card sales settle on the processor's schedule. The steady costs are predictable; the expensive ones are not: a failed glycol chiller, a walk-in compressor, an ice machine, or a remodel to keep the room competitive.
For a new bar, one risk is timing. Rent and build-out costs can start before a license is in place; confirm the timeline with the licensing office.
Bar equipment financing options
Bar equipment financing covers back-bar coolers, draft systems and glycol lines, ice machines, glass washers, point-of-sale systems, sound and lighting. Bar equipment financing companies differ mainly in which items they accept and how they treat installation; draft lines and custom millwork are partly soft cost. Itemize the quote line by line. The equipment financing page explains loans, leases and soft costs.
Remodels, a second room and pub business loans
Pub business loans for a remodel or a new location can take the form of a term loan, because the benefit lasts years. Partners may weigh a second location against the first one's track record and the plan for the new lease. Expect to show sales by category, the current license, and bids for the build-out.
Licensing on the funding calendar
Whether a bar sits inside the City of Las Vegas or in unincorporated Clark County, NV may change which licensing office it deals with; confirm with each office. Lining up borrowing with licensing milestones, rather than funding everything on day one, keeps installments from starting on a room that cannot open. The liquor license guide walks through that sequence.
Stock, lines and advances
Routine restocking may be covered from sales; a line of credit can absorb a large order before a holiday weekend or a private-event booking. A bar with heavy card sales may be offered a merchant cash advance, which is not a loan. Compare an advance's total collected with a line's interest on drawn balances before choosing.
Illustrative example: a draft system rebuild (not an offer)
A tavern replaces a 12-tap draft system and glycol chiller. The quote is $18,500, of which $4,000 is labor and line work. A partner that finances only hard equipment would cover $14,500; over 36 months at an annual rate of 13%, chosen for arithmetic, that is about $489 a month, with the $4,000 labor paid from cash. Real terms come from a written offer.
Bars in Clark County, NV
County Business Patterns counted 468 drinking places with employees in Clark County, NV in 2023, with 8,649 employees and about $346.8 million in annual payroll; 21.4% had fewer than five employees. ZIP 89103 had 17 of them (ZBP 2023). Nonemployer Statistics recorded 276 bars without payroll in 2024, a separate count. Restaurants that serve alcohol are counted under restaurants, not here; see the industries page and the Las Vegas, NV page for more.
Records partners may ask a bar for
- Bank plus card-processor statements
- Tax returns and sales by category
- Current liquor license, or its status for a new location
- Lease and landlord consent for any remodel
- Equipment quotes and contractor bids
Questions a bar owner should ask before signing
- Does the agreement restrict a second financing while this one is open?
- If the bar closes for a remodel, do payments pause or continue?
- Is the equipment lien limited to the financed items, or a blanket lien on all assets?
- Can the draft system be moved to a new location if the lease ends?
- What are the end-of-lease options on coolers and ice machines?
Answers to these can change the real cost and flexibility of an offer.
Events, private parties and a short-term need
A bar that books private events and buyouts is paid partly by deposit and partly afterwards. A booked calendar of events is a record a partner can read; deposit schedules show when cash actually arrives. An owner who needs stock or extra staff for a run of booked events may find a line of credit a better fit than a fixed-term loan, because the draw can be repaid as each event settles.
By Starbend Commercial Capital · Updated